Manchester City believe they will be Lionel Messi's first choice should he decide to leave Barcelona.

Senior executives from City have inquired to Barcelona about Messi, who doesn't have any current plans to leave.

The arrival of Pep Guardiola would make City attractive to Messi, while Txiki Begiristain and Ferran Soriano have also worked closely with Messi. In particular, Soriano is close to Messi and his family.

Messi is signed with Barcelona until the summer of 2018. Messi earns €385,000 per week and has a buyout clause of €250 million.